The Eevee on the Doorstep
by TotoSage
Summary: A simple farming girl's life is changed when one day, an abandoned Eevee is left on her front porch, battered and bruised. A major issue comes up: Who's Eevee is it and what happened to it that fateful day?
1. Chapter 1

Winter had come and gone, like the majestic and chilling wings of an Articuno. The Johto countryside had been waiting, with open arms, for the summer to arrive once more. During this wonderful time of the year, most of the children would spend time training their Pokemon, running along the open fields and swimming in the clear, cool pools of water.

The hot sun had dappled the forest floors with shadows and the gentle winds had tickled the grassy fields, causing them to sway back and forth. The oceans were calm, and if you sniffed hard enough, you could catch a small scent of the ocean's saltiness in the air.

People and Pokemon alike have always enjoyed the summer days and nights together, helping them to form even stronger bonds with one another.

But summer was the busiest time of the year for Melody, whose family was running one of the most popular Pokemon ranches in the region. As much as she wanted to relax like all the other kids, she found her self cleaning and tending to the various Pokemon that lived on the family ranch. Most days, she spent more time watching the Pokemon relax than relaxing herself.

But today, she had a small amount of free time on her hands. She grabbed a copy of _The Spring Without Pokemon, _a best-selling book that was published in the Orange Islands. Her mother had bought her the book as a gift for Melody's 10th birthday, but she had never gotten around to reading it. Now she was 11, and she finally chose to start reading it. Melody had always seen the Nurse Joys around the regions as inspiration for her ranch work.

Melody sat on the edge of her bed, pulling the dusty book off of her windowsill. But before she could become fully invested, she was interrupted. One of her personal pets, a chubby Bidoof, had waddled into the room. He was a master at begging for food, and as a result, he had packed on quite the amount of weight. Sometimes when ever customers or family came over to visit, Bidoof would be at the door to greet them. They had always mocked (sometimes jokingly), about how much weight he had gained.

"Bidoof!" he exclaimed.

Immediately, she knew what he was looking for. His eyes were fixed on a box of PokeTreats on the windowsill. Melody slowly outreached her hand towards the box, but she started to hesitate.

"Bidoof, you don't need any more treats", Melody scolded. "I'm trying to read a book, so I need you to be quiet, okay?"

"Bidoof!" he cried.

Melody, as she usually did, caved in and gave him a small handful to keep him quiet. She hoped that it would be enough to make him waddle away and give her enough peace to read through the first 3 chapters.

As she had expected, Bidoof had toddled his way out the door. _Finally_, Melody thought. _I can have some quiet reading time._

Melody decided to get comfortable by lying down on her left side. She was so excited to read that she failed to notice another small shape slinking its way through her room door. Although it wasn't Bidoof, she still was exceedingly annoyed. Forcing herself to peel her eyes away from the book, she looked down at a small, black, cat-like figure.

_Thank goodness!_, Melody thought to herself.

It was her pet Umbreon, Midnite. She was a great listener and the perfect companion for when things got a little stressful. In one fluid motion, she crouched and leapt onto the bed by Melody's side. Midnite, in her search for someplace warm, decided to curl up near Melody's feet. Melody could feel the rumbling build up in Midnite's body as she let out a content purr.

"You wanna keep me company while I read, don'tcha, girl?" Melody whispered softly.

With that, Midnite's purring grew in volume.

This moment didn't last for long, however. About half and hour later, Melody's father came into her room. "I need you to go out and feed the Magikarps. When you are done with that, I need you to go out and brush the Miltank."

Perturbed, Melody closed her book and placed it on the windowsill next to her bed. Melody's sudden movement caused Midnite to yowl and jump off the bed in a state of shock. "Yes sir", Melody responded in mechanical-sounding voice.

"Don't worry about milking the Miltanks," her father continued. "I already had that taken care of."

After giving Melody her instructions, he left the room and headed downstairs. _I love Pokémon…, _Melody thought. _…But why do we have to do so much work? _After finding a new set of appropriate "working clothes", she turned to Midnite.

"Ready to do some ranch work?" Melody said, trying her best to sound encouraging.

"Umbry umbry!" Midnite called.

"Then, c'mon! Those Miltank aren't gonna brush themselves!"


	2. Chapter 2- The Discovery

The next morning wasn't as beautiful as the Johto citizens had hoped. The clouds were starting to congregate together in large grey masses. The children and their Pokémon would have to stay inside, impatiently waiting for the sun to peek out from around the collection of grey clouds.

Even though most people would find this as the perfect opportunity to stay inside, in Melody's household, there were still things that needed to be done. She, along with the Houndour pups, would have to herd their ranch Pokémon into the barn before the storm rolled in. This was especially important for the Rapidash and Ponyta, since keeping their flames lit was a matter of life and death.

But, truth be told, she wasn't in any mood to think about house or ranch work. Melody's body was still a little sore from yesterday's chores, and her muscles were in absolute remonstration. Midnite was curled up at the foot of Melody's bed, with her paw tips touching her nose. With a gentle pat, Melody woke her up.

"C'mon, girl. We gotta wake up. It's a brand new day, after all", Melody said.

Midnite never liked being woken up unless it had something to do with food. She was never a "morning Pokémon", and struggled to find the energy-or reason-to get up.

Of course, Melody knew this. With a hint of excitement in her voice, Melody said, "I promise I'll feed you a bit of my scrambled eggs before we get started…"

Midnite licked her lips in full agreement. She absolutely loved breakfast; French toast and pancakes were her favorite. Scrambled eggs came in at a close second, but it was good enough for her. "Umbry!"

"That's the spirit!" Melody cheered. "Race ya!"

Melody and her parents enjoyed a hearty breakfast of scrambled Pidgey eggs, imported Spoink bacon, glasses of Miltank milk, and Tauros sausages. Midnite sat down at Melody's feet, staring up at her plate. She licked her lips every time Melody lifted the fork up to her mouth. Impatient, Midnite started to sniff around Melody's feet for any crumbs that might have fallen from her fork. The feeling of Midnite's tiny whiskers brushing against her feet made her chortle.

"Ok, ok!" Melody giggled. "Here you go, girl."

Melody dropped a piece of sausage on the floor, as well as a few crumbs of her scrambled egg. Delighted, Midnite merrily ate the table scraps that were given to her. When she had finished, Midnite got onto her hind legs and licked the last bit of flavor off of Melody's fingers.

"Hurry now," Melody's father gently reminded her. "We have to gather the Pokémon into the barn before this storm comes in."

"Yes sir," Melody respectfully responded. "C'mon girl, we gotta go out now."

"Umbreon…"

It took her and her father around 2 hours to get all the Pokémon back into the barn. After every creature was accounted for, she had to make sure that every single one of them was properly feed and watered (which was no easy task). The Miltank had the tendency to get worked up and uneasy whenever the weather turned bad (which made feeding time a whole new level of difficult). When all the work was done, Melody's father drove into town to pick up more supplies.

3 hours had passed by since breakfast time. Midnite started to slow down, a sign that she was overdue for her midmorning nap. As gently as she could, Melody picked Midnite up and carried her into her room. In the warmth of her room, Melody finally felt comfortable and at ease. She placed Midnite at the foot of her bed, which was Midnite's favorite napping spot.

Knowing that there was nothing else left for her to do, she grabbed her book off of the windowsill and started from where she left off. Her muscles had stopped putting up a fight and the gentle pinging of rain on the window had helped her unwind.

It took her an hour and a half to get through the next 5 chapters, but she was proud of herself nonetheless. With no interruptions, it made the process even easier. Unexpectedly, Melody had found that _The Spring Without Pokémon_ was a very intriguing read.

Right when she about to start reading chapter 6, her mother called out for her. "Melooooodddyyy! Come here! And hurry!"

Her mother was never one to yell, so Melody knew that it _had_ to have been something urgent. She flew out of her bed as quickly as she could. The sudden movement had, once again, awoken the cantankerous Umbreon from her nap.

Melody was running so fast that she almost had fallen down the stairs. She saw that her mom was standing in the threshold of the front door, staring down at the steps that led up to the door.

Her mother's eyes were filled to the brim with tears, and her hands were clasped over her mouth. Melody approached her cautiously, knowing that this was an emotional moment. Apparently, what she saw was something she wished she could unsee.

A large lump had formed in Melody's throat, almost as if she had swallowed an apricorn. When the bloody sight came into view, Melody started to feel the same way her mother did.. For on the front steps, was an unconscious Eevee.


	3. Chapter 3- To the Pokemon Center!

"What in Arceus' name could have done this?" Melody's mother whimpered.

The rain outside had grown from a gentle mist into a steady downpour. The battered Pokémon that was before them was not only bloody and unmoving, but it was also becoming heavily waterlogged in the rain. Feeling a tinge of altruism course through her, Melody was determined to take action.

"I need to take it to the Pokémon center," Melody said gravely.

Thankfully, all Pokémon centers were open 24 hours a day. But, on the other hand, their family lived 20 miles away from the city.

Melody's mother turned to her as if she had three heads growing out of her stomach. How could her daughter suggest doing something so dangerous? "I'm not letting you go out in the rain. And I'm definitely not going to let you carry a dead Pokémon around with you either."

"But how do you know that it's dead?" Melody snapped.

Melody's mother stared her daughter straight in the face and said,"How do _you_ know that it's alive?"

After realizing that she was back-talking her mother, Melody responded with a "You're right...I'm sorry."

Melody's mother looked down at the furry mass that was lying down before her. Did her family have the time to take care for yet _another _Pokémon? Could this helpless creature really be saved?

"When your father comes home, ask him if he can drop you off at the Pokémon center. After it becomes healed, release it back into the wild", her mother said cautiously.

Excited to be able to care for it, Melody rushed upstairs to grab a towel and used it to scoop the little Eevee up and bring it to the bathroom. On her way back upstairs to the bathroom, Melody cried out with a, "Thank you, Mom!".

Melody felt that, at the very least, she could try her best to keep the Eevee clean. As gently as she could, Melody placed the Eevee in the bathtub and filled the sink basin with lukewarm water. After the sink was filled, she picked the Eevee back up and put it in the water feet-first, trying to keep its head from fully submerging into the water.

Using her Pokessentials brand Pokemon shampoo, she lathered the Eevee with fragrant, foamy suds. The Eevee's matted fur was covered in caked-on dirt and dried blood. The mixture of clay and blood had dyed the water a brownish-red color. She had to keep draining and refilling the sink with water until she had gotten it as clean as she had wanted it. She made it her ultimate goal to get it as clean as she possibly could before she went on her trip to the Pokemon center. As Melody was lathering the Eevee, she started to wonder..._was this Pokemon really wild?_ Would a wild Pokemon really just march its way onto someone's front porch? To her, it seemed more like it was..._placed_ there...by _a trainer._

Bursting with curiosity, Midnite had slithered her way in the bathroom. The dark-type Pokemon could see that Melody was cleaning another Pokemon in the sink. Wanting to get a closer look, she jumped onto the sink counter next to Melody's hands. Midnite could see that the Pokemon in the sink was an Eevee...but something seemed to be wrong with it...

"Bree..." Midnite said, worriedly.

Melody could sense the shakiness and doubt in Midnite's tone. She wanted to say something that would cheer her up a bit. "Don't worry girl," Melody cooed. "With Nurse Joy's help, we can get this little fellow healed to perfection in no time at all!"

The Pokemon center was a lot better than Melody had imagined. It seemed sterile and clean, but also inviting. The white walls were plastered in photos of Pokemon, wild and tame. They seemed happy, and added a positive atmosphere to the small animal hospital.

"Yes?" Nurse Joy asked politely. "How may I help you?"

_Oh man!_ Melody thought. _I can't believe it! It's actually HER!_

Slowly, Melody tutted up to the front desk, making sure that the Eevee wouldn't slip out of her hands. Her excitement made it harder to walk at a steady pace. She noticed that as she inched closer, Nurse Joy's face started to contort into a look of horror and astonishment.

She had never seen anything so...vile...

Upon closer inspection, the nurse took note of the various bruises, scratches, and lacerations. Nurses were used to tending to poisoned, burned, frozen, and paralyzed Pokemon...but these injuries were far more than the average battle scars.

"Little girl," Nurse Joy scolded sternly. "How could you do this to your own Pokemon?"

Offended that anyone would assumed that it was hers, Melody defended herself. "This isn't _mine, _honest! Someone had left it on our front doorstep and we're trying to figure out who did it."

Not sure if she whether or not to believe the story, Nurse Joy called for her Chansey to bring her a spare Pokeball. "Now, I'll need to know your name and home phone number. I might need to call your folks in case I need to keep Eevee overnight."

After reciting her name and number, Melody saw the nurse click the Pokeball open and try to contain the Eevee.

But to no avail.

"Strange...", Nurse Joy said, puzzled. She turned towards her Pokemon partner and said,"Chansey, may I have some more Pokeballs please? I believe this one is broken."

Once again, she clicked open another Pokeball in an effort to capture the Pokemon in Melody's arms.

Oddly, the tiny normal type was still tucked into the little girls arms.

None of the other Pokeballs that the nurse used had worked.

This Pokemon belonged to someone else.


	4. Chapter 4- Amber

The bright morning sun had peeked its way through Melody's blinds. Its warmth and intensity caused her to stir, and finally, awaken. Midnite started to do the same, and gave out a small yawn. The both of them had their eyes fixed on the Eevee that was lying down comfortably on the floor. Its body began to shift on its makeshift bed of used towels.

It didn't take long for the Pokémon nurse to get its energy back to normal last night, but its scars would still take more time to heal. "In the mean time," the nurse instructed. "Give it these antibiotic pills with its food and apply some anti-bacterial cream to its wounds. That should help it get better in a few weeks."

Melody was more than relieved to have found out that the little fox-like Pokémon was still alive. _By the grace of Arceus,_ she thought to herself. And, according to the nurse, it wasn't going to take that long to get it back to normal.

After a few moments, the Eevee started to move around as well. Its ears started to twitch and its tail started to wave back and forth. "Good," Melody said softly. "You're awake."

At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, the Eevee jerked its head up and its eyes started to dart from one end of the room to the other. It was confused and scared; Melody knew this well. But she was so glad that it had finally come to.

Melody got out of bed and slowly edged towards the Eevee. But as she got closer, the Eevee started to back its way into a corner. With an outstretched hand, she made an attempt to pet it between the ears.

Feeling vulnerable, the Eevee used Bite and raised one of its paws, preparing to use Scratch. Melody jerked her hand back closer to her body and let out a small "Ow!" The Eevee continued to stand its ground and growl at her, but Melody knew better than to mess with a frightened Pokémon.

Witnessing her owner get hurt, Midnite charged at the Eevee with her teeth exposed. But before she could get closer, Melody grabbed her.

Midnite had never fought before, but she would do anything if her trainer was hurting.

"It's okay," Melody said in a calm tone. "I'm fine. He's just a little scared, that's all."

"Umbry…", Midnite growled, making direct eye contact with the Eevee.

The Eevee growled back at her, his ears flattened against his head.

"How's about some breakfast?" Melody suggested. "Maybe you two will stop being so cranky towards one another."

"You mean you just **_found_**it there?"

"Yeah," Melody responded. "We have no idea why or how it got there, either."

Melody, who was sitting on her bed, looked towards her friend with a look of confusion. Her friend, who was sitting on the floor, looked back up at her friend, equally confused.

"I don't know what happened, but he seems to be getting better."

"Yeah," her friend responded.

"Amber", Melody started to ask. "How's your Squirtle doing?"

"Oh, yeah!" Amber pulled a Pokéball from her satchel and opened it, releasing a red energy that transformed into the turtle Pokémon Squirtle.

"Squirtle, squirt!" the little Squirtle shouted happily.

"Umbry, umbreon!" Midnite squealed back merrily.

"Go on and play, you two!" Amber gently shooed them away.

The two Pokémon, best friends forever it seemed, raced each other down the hall and out into the backyard. This finally gave the girls some time in Melody's room to talk without any other distractions.

"Ok," Amber said hurriedly. "Back to that Eevee you were telling me about."

The Eevee had hidden itself underneath Melody's bed. He could sense that he was being talked about, but he still decided to remain hidden. The farther it was away from the humans, the better.

Melody's mind snapped back into reality. "Oh yeah, like I was saying", she started back up. "It was lying there, unconscious. I cleaned it up and brought it to Nurse Joy. After that, we waited for about an hour and she gave us a prescription for the medicine that he needed."

The look on Amber's face became downhearted, and she let out a sigh. "Poor thing…"

_Geez_, Melody thought. _She's taking this harder than I am._

"Where is it?"

"Under my bed," Melody replied.

The small fox Pokémon slid from underneath the bed, figuring that the underside of the bed wasn't the greatest hiding spot. He looked up at Amber with soulful eyes; a breath of life had been breathed into him. Still hurting, he gradually made his way over into Amber's lap, letting out a small purr.

"Hey!", Melody said, suspiciously. "How come he's nice to _you_?"

Amber looked up at her friend with a tense expression on her face. Biting her lip she said, "Oh...I don't know…I guess I just have a way with Eevees…"

It was then that Melody was able to put it together.

Amber had _seen_ this Eevee before.


	5. Chapter 5- Collin

"Alright Squirtle, use Water Gun!"

At the sound of Amber's command, Squirtle launched itself in the direction of his opponent and shot out a small "water bullet".

A stocky young male with short brown hair looked down at his Charmander with irritated eyes. "What are you standing around for? Dodge it and use Protect!"

Melody was glad that her parents let her invite her friends Amber and Collin over for the afternoon. She was starting to feel a little isolated and cramped from staying in her house all day. It was nice to finally have some human company other than her parents.

"Char, char!" the little Charmander roared. She had used the move Protect, which guarded her from all attacks for a single turn.

As odd as the match up was, Melody had to give Collin some credit. He had guts pitting a fire type up against a speedy water type like Amber's Squirtle. But, as good of trainers as her friends were, Melody detested Pokémon trainers.

Well, maybe not the trainers themselves, but she did hate the very concept of Pokémon battles. In her eyes, Melody had always viewed Pokémon as lifelong companions that she had considered to be equals with mankind.

What kind of person would take joy in watching their beloved companion inflict pain upon others? The very idea of Melody becoming a trainer made her feel sick to her stomach.

The short-lived battle had ended in Squirtle being the victor.

_Well, that was obvious,_ Melody thought to herself.

This victory had led to Squirtle gaining some experience points, making him slightly stronger than he was before. "You'll be a Wartortle in no time!" Amber praised.

Slightly embarrassed, Squirtle rubbed the back of his neck.

"Squirtle squirtle squirt," he said humbly.

The Charmander had fainted, making her the loser of the battle.

Collin looked down at his Charmander and crossed his arms. "Now look what you did!" he scolded angrily. "With that kind of fighting, you'll _never _become a Charizard!"

Amber gazed at Collin and crossed her arms too. "What's that attitude all about? Don't you think that you should treat Willow with a little more respect?"

Collin huffed and returned Amber's fiery gaze. "Pokémon don't need _respect_," he sulked. "They need to become stronger and listen to their trainer's every command no matter what."

He looked back down at Willow's unconscious body and clenched his teeth. "A weak Pokémon is a _useless _Pokémon."

"Willow, return!" Collin ordered as he sent her back into her Pokéball.

Melody thought that Collin's Charmander, at the very least had a cute name (she was named after the fire type move Will-O-Wisp). But what she didn't find cute was the way that Collin had always spoken to her.

It's really unfair to put your Pokémon against another Pokémon that has a type advantage over it and expect it to win.

Desperately wanting to break up the argument, Melody called out, "Hey! My mom made cookies and lemonade last night. Maybe, if there's any left, you guys can have some!"

**Inside the kitchen**

The three youngsters entered the kitchen, parched from standing around in the hot sun. Melody walked over to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade.

She removed the cookies from a cabinet overhead and placed them below on the counter.

"Well, dig in guys!" Melody said cheerfully. "She made them all from scratch last night."

"I wanna try one," Collin said with a cool tone of voice.

After taking a small bite, Amber said, "These cookies are great! Your mom is an awesome chef!"

At the sound of the word "cookies", Midnite and Bidoof trotted their way into the room. "Umbry!" Midnite shouted, making their presence known.

_Oh boy,_ Melody thought to herself.

Melody took out two cookies, one for each of her pets. Knowing how much of a glutton her Bidoof was, she gave Bidoof two more cookies. Both Bidoof and Midnite enjoyed the crunchy cookies, which had a lemon flavor with a small hint of vanilla.

From the corner of her eye, Melody noticed that the Eevee had wandered into the kitchen as well. When it had spotted the humans, it ran underneath the kitchen table as fast as it could, trying its best to remain unseen.

Collin had seen it scamper into the kitchen and asked, "Hey, Melody, when did you get an Eevee?"

Melody began to run her fingers through her hair, mulling over what to say. "Well, I just found it on my front porch two days ago. I think someone must have left it there, but they never came back."

Collin reached for another cookie from the plate.

"Huh," he shrugged. "Kinda reminds me of the Eevee I used to have."


	6. Chapter 6- The Confession

After all of her chores were completed, Melody called Amber and asked her if it was okay for her to come over. Amber's mom had given her permission and Amber had arrived about thirty minutes afterwards.

When Amber had arrived in Melody's room, the two girls started to chatter giddily. Amber had set down her duffel bag and pulled out a large bag of chips for the two of them to share.

"What should we do first?" Melody asked excitedly.

Amber let out a cackle. "I don't know _hostess-that-invited-me-here. _What _should _we do?" she said mockingly.

"I was thinking that we could stay up and watch movies," Melody responded. "Or play video games."

"Let's watch a movie," Amber decided.

The first movie that the girls watched was a romantic movie about a couple that was aboard the S.S. Anne. The man and woman slowly fell in love, and even as the ship was sinking, were still wrapped in each other's loving embrace.

"This movie is so cheesy," Amber joked.

Melody laughed in response. "Yeah, but it's considered a classic."

Five minutes of silence had passed before Melody decided to speak up again. "Sooo…did you know that Collin had an Eevee?"

Amber bit her lip and a nervous look was formed on her face. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Melody, as if she had something to hide.

_C'mon Amber, _Melody screamed in her head. _I know that you know something!_

The Eevee had snuck from its hiding place underneath Melody's bed. Its tail started to tremor at the sight of Amber and he immediately crawled to Amber's side. Remembering Eevee's attack on Melody, Midnite became agitated and leapt back onto the windowsill.

"Why are they so mad at each other?" Amber questioned, confused.

"He bit me and Midnite's still mad about it," Melody answered simply.

Melody took note of how friendly and happy the Eevee was whenever Amber was around. She still had no clue about how or why the Eevee was so trusting with Amber. Testing to see if he trusted her too, Melody tried to pet the Eevee. Like last time, the Eevee had swiped his paw and hissed at her.

The Eevee's hiss had caused Midnite to hiss back, sending the Eevee a harsh warning.

"Why is it _so _nice to you, but he hates me?" Melody asked forlornly. "_I'm _the one that brought it to the nurse, fed it, and bathed it!"

"I…don't know…," Amber said hesitantly as she stroked the Eevee from head to tail.

To Melody, Amber's tone of voice didn't seem so convincing.

Melody put her hand on Amber's shoulder, giving her a look of distress. "If you knew anything about this, you would tell me, right?"

Amber nodded. "I don't keep secrets from my best friend, Mel."

Without anymore questioning, Melody pressed play on the remote and started the movie. They were only ten minutes in when Amber let out a hardy sigh.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Amber said miserably. "I have something I need to tell you."

Taken aback, Melody pressed pause and turned towards her friend. Even Midnite, who was still sulking on the windowsill, had raised her ears in interest.

Amber reached for her duffel bag and zipped open a side pocket. She pulled out a red and white Pokéball.

In a single motion, she opened the ball and captured the Eevee.

"Wait, so it's yours?" Melody asked, puzzled.

What seemed to puzzle her more was the fact that it seemed as though Amber had _prepared _for this. After all, who would bring a _Pokéball _to a sleepover?

Amber stared off into space and let out another sigh. "Yeah…he was mine…"

**The next morning**

The two girls (along with Midnite and Bidoof, who were begging for table scraps), sat at the breakfast table and enjoyed a freshly-prepared breakfast. Once again, Melody's mom had cooked scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausages. When her mother had left the room, Melody took this as the perfect opportunity to ask her friend some questions.

"So, about the Eevee…," she started.

Slowly, Amber downed a glass of milk and opened her mouth to speak. "He used to be mines…but he's not anymore…"

Melody could sense that this was a touchy subject for Amber. She wanted to learn more, but she also didn't want to push her friend's boundaries.

Cautiously, she posed another question. "Well, whose Pokémon is it, then?"

Amber's eyes were fixed on her plate, unmoving and unsure. She cut a small sliver of pancake and placed it gently in her mouth, chewing slowly. She grabbed a small handful of scrambled egg and placed it near Midnite and Bidoof.

After all was done, she had finally worked up the courage to look her friend Melody in the eyes. From where Melody was sitting, she could see the hurt and ache that had filled Amber's eyes.

It was then that Amber decided to speak up.

"It's Collin's."


	7. Chapter 7- The Tale Unfolds

Melody was still thinking about the conversation the she had had with Amber last night. As puzzling as it was, it was starting to make a little more sense.

_Maybe...she ...stole it from Collin?, _Melody thought to herself.

That scenario, while possible, didn't seem very likely. How could her friend _steal _something from someone else? Amber was one of the most kindhearted and wise people that she had ever met.

...But still...

Craving the full story, Melody walked into the kitchen and dialed Amber's number from her house phone. While the tone was ringing, Melody's eyes drifted over to the Eevee, who was taking a nap on the sun-soaked windowsill. The longer the tone rang, the more anxious Melody began to become.

Right as she was about to give up hope, Amber picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Amber?"

"Of course it's me, doofus."

Even over the phone, Amber's personality always shined through.

With the phone tightly gripped in her hands, Melody decided that it was finally time to pose the question that was in her mind.

"...about the Eevee…"

At the mention of the word _eevee, _Amber let out a small sigh. Even though she couldn't see her friend's face, Melody could sense that Amber didn't want to talk about it. But both girls knew that this couldn't stay a mystery for long.

After a few seconds of silence, Amber decided to speak up again.

"You're right...I should tell. After all, friends don't hide secrets from one another, right?" Amber said with a slight tone of grief.

"Right," Melody responded simply.

**Flasback to the start of Amber's journey**

With the Odd Egg and her starter Pokemon in tow, Amber was happily making her first steps to becoming a Pokemon champion. She felt a jolt of excitement zoom down her spine as her gaze swept across the large landscape before her. Finally, she could explore the far reaches of Johto alone.

Amber released her starter from her Pokeball. She watched in awe as the red energy from her ball transformed into a Chikorita.

"Chika!," the grass type said energetically.

"Hey, little one," Amber said gently. "My name's Amber and together, we're gonna make it to the Pokemon league!"

Chikorita's blood-red eyes seemed to be gleaming with energy. She couldn't wait to show off her potential power to her new master. The thought of Amber unlocking her potential was enough to make the grass type leap into a battle-ready stance.

Amber let out a teeny chuckle. "Well, we're not gonna battle right now!"

After seeing that they were still in front of the lab, Chikorita felt a little embarrassed. There wasn't anything to fight...or at least not yet.

"How about we head into one of the forests? There's gonna be plenty of bug types, so we gotta make a quick stop and buy some Antidotes, okay?" Amber said.

"Chika, chika!" Chikorita squeaked happily.

Amber grabbed her map and cell phone from her handbag. Her mother warned her against traveling alone, so, she decided to call her friend Collin and invited him to the Illex Forest.

"Hey, Collin," she said. "I'm heading over to Illex Forest. Wanna come?"

"_Sure," _Collin responded. "I'll meet you there."

Amber neatly refolded her map and clicked her cell phone shut. After both items were put away, she looked down at her new partner.

It was then that she remembered that she didn't have a bike with her yet. She sighed and zipped her bag back up.

"Looks like we're walking..."

**In the Illex Forest-1 hour later**

Amber's feet were aching from all the walking she had to do to get here, but it was worth it. She didn't see Collin, but then again, she didn't tell him to meet her at a specific place. Amber reached into her bag and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Alright Chikorita, let's battle some Pokemon!"

"Chika!" Chikorita bellowed.

The duo started to walk around in the tall grass, seeking out any opponents. Suddenly, Amber heard a rustling noise behind her. Alarmed, Amber instructed Chikorita to get ready for an attack. The tiny grass type tensed up her body and kept her focus on the shaking grass patch before her.

A brown blur rushed past Amber. It was too fast for her to see clearly, but prepared herself for a Noctowl attack. As the brown creature ran past her once more, she noticed that it had pointy ears and a bushy tail.

_Definitely __not _ _a Noctowl…, _she thought.

The brown monster popped out from behind a bush, ready to fight. It's ears twitched in anticipation and it let out a tiny growl. The white collar of fur around its neck was stained with mud from running in the forest.

"Wait…," Amber murmured softly. "...is that...an Eevee…?"

Did Eevees even live out here in the forest? Was it even possible? If so, where did they come from?

Amber snapped out of her confused state and ordered her Pokemon to make a move.

"Alright, use Tackle!"

After a few short rounds of fighting, Amber and Chikorita had weakened it enough to be able to successfully capture it.

"Good job, Chikorita!" Amber praised.

"Chika chika chika!" Chikorita shrieked in delight.

"Hey," a voice cried out. "I'm here!"

Amber looked up and saw Collin. Ecstatic, Amber waved her Pokeball back and forth in the air, smiling back at him. She couldn't wait to share what she had found.

"You won't _believe _what I just caught!"

**Author's Note: This chapter was a little rushed, so the pacing might feel a little rushed too. Sorry for the wait!**


	8. Chapter 8-Under the Stars

**Continuing the flashback to Amber's Johto Adventure**

"What did you catch?" Collin asked.

Amber stared down at the red Pokéball that was in her hand. She was still amazed at the fact that she had found an Eevee-in the Ilex Forest! This was something that she had to share.

Both children were walking along the sidewalk, heading towards Route 34. The sun was at its highest point, layering the region in a film of golden light. The Ilex Forest, however, was murky and cold. Exiting the darkness and heading out into the light made both kids feel more at ease.

"I found an Eevee!" Amber announced excitedly.

Collin furrowed his brow. How could something so outrageous be possible?

He scoffed, "Yeah right, and Scyther can fly!"

"I really did catch one!" Amber said crossly. "It was a fast one, too! Chikorita came in and-_swoosh_-we caught it with only one ball."

Collin only rolled his eyes.

Amber tucked the Pokéball into her backpack and turned towards Collin. "So, did you catch anything?"

"Pfft, there's only measly Rattata and Hoothoot for _miles_! Why can't I find something cool, like Moltres, or Beedrill?"

"Doofus, we just left a _forest_," Amber said, laughing. "You had plenty of chances to catch Kakuna!"

Collin only let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Hey," Amber suggested, quickly stepping in front of Collin. "Why don't we stop by the nearest Pokémon Center? My Eevee's not doing so good…"

In an annoyed tone, Collin complained, "Will you shut up about that stupid Eevee already?"

Amber could sense a hint of jealousy in his voice and decided to change the subject-indefinitely.

* * *

><p>"Willow, use Ember!"<p>

The Charmander waddled over to the makeshift campfire that Amber had scrapped together. Willow used Ember and started a small fire on the lump of logs. Afterwards, Willow ran over to Amber, who gingerly pet her on the head.

Collin slumped down on the ground next to the fire. "I can believe we have to camp out! I wish we had beds to sleep in…"

Amber squeezed into her sleeping bag and tried her best to get comfortable on the tough, dirt ground. "Well, if we had _jobs _and _money_, then we could afford a hotel room. Besides, camping is WAY cheaper than booking a room."

As the fire grew in size, Amber could feel its warmth crawl over her. It felt good to be out and about, depending on her skills in order to survive. The feeling of independence made her feel important.

"Whatever," Collin huffed. "Willow, return!"

The tiny Charmander was recalled back into her Pokéball, which Collin packed into his backpack. After putting the ball away, Collin squeezed into his sleeping bag. "I wish I could find an Eevee….maybe evolve in into a Flareon, or wait, a Jolteon!...or maybe…"

Collin's sudden excitement made Amber giggle. "It sounds like you wanna trade," she joked.

At the sound of the word "trade", Collin flipped over onto his back and faced the starry night sky. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Amber waited for Collin to fall asleep before she opened up her backpack and pulled out the Eevee's Pokéball. "Eevee, come on out," she quietly whispered.

After cracking the Pokéball open, a red energy quickly poured out of it. Before her stood the Eevee, whose dark brown eyes were full of curiosity and wonder.

He cautiously crawled over to his new owner and sniffed her intriguingly.

"Eevee," Amber said coolly. "I'm your trainer, Amber."

"Vee…?" the Eevee responded, confused.

"You see, trainers work with their Pokémon to become stronger and earn gym badges. When you earn 8 of them, you get to travel through the Badge Check Gates and go into the Pokémon League."

"…Vee…?"

Amber felt strange explaining the rules of the Pokémon League to a Pokémon, but she felt that it was a good way to get the Eevee used to being around her. With a careful hand, she reached out towards the Eevee and gingerly stroked it between the ears. In response, he let out a purr and rubbed his head on her hand.

In the wide open spaces underneath the glittering stars, Amber felt at peace. Finally, she felt as though she were accomplishing something greater than herself. Her dreams were starting to unfold right before her eyes, unlike anything she had thought possible.

"Vee, Eevee vee!" the Eevee said elatedly.

Amber held up a single finger to her lips. "Shhh…," she silenced him, pointing her other finger to Collin. "He's sleeping."

The Eevee whipped his head around towards Collin, watching as his breaths moved rhythmically up and down. Eevee crawled over to Amber's side, curling up next to her. Amber stuck one hand out of her sleeping bag, reaching out to give the Eevee one final pat.

"Good night, little guy."

"Vee vee!"


	9. Chapter 9- The Trade

When Amber opened her eyes, the sun wasn't even up yet. She couldn't remember the last time she was awake this early. It was a crime against nature to be up before the sun was.

Since she was on a Pokémon journey, she decided that she would make some exceptions. The earlier they woke up, the better. PokéMarts usually had better deals early in the morning and getting from town to town by foot was proving to be a tasking event in itself.

Amber's body was screaming for the chance to sleep in, but she knew better. As neatly as she could, she folded up her sleeping bag and kicked dirt over the crackling fire. She checked-double checking and tripling checking-that she had everything with her.

She walked over to where Collin was curled up and gently tapped him with the toe of her shoe.

"C'mon, wake up!" she playfully demanded. "Hey sleepyhead, we gotta leave soon."

Collin, still half-asleep, pushed her foot away. He mumbled inaudibly to himself and curled into a tighter ball. "Go away, Mom," he murmured. "Five more minutes…"

Amber couldn't help but laugh. Collin had called her _Mom._

_He must still think that he's at home…, _Amber thought.

Tossing and turning, her companion tried to reposition himself in a more comfortable pose.

"Collin, c'mon! We gotta go…_**now **_would be the _perfect_ time!" Amber said in an annoyed tone.

Unsurprisingly, he still stayed where he was.

"Alright, suit yourself," Amber said, waving him off. "I'll just go out and get some hot…warm…delicious...tasty breakfast all by myself…without you!"

When Amber mentioned food, Collin struggled out of his sleeping bag and gathered all of his stuff together. It took him less than 10 minutes to get his belongings completely packed.

"Well," he said, out of breath. "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

><p>"Boy, I'm stuffed!" Collin moaned, holding his hands on his stomach.<p>

The two kids had just left a small café on their way to town. It was small, but the food was still top notch. It was the perfect meal; cheap and tasty.

Amber was glad that her mom had given her money. Although it wasn't much, Amber still knew the many ways to stretch a dollar.

"Yeah, you said it!" Amber said, still thinking about the perfectly fluffy pancakes she and Collin split.

After a few more minutes of walking, Collin stopped in his tracks.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

Amber pulled her backpack off of her shoulders and pulled out her map. She passed it to Collin, who impatiently unfolded it.

"Where the heck are we?"

Amber pointed to their exact location. "We're here. We gotta keep going east. That's where the nearest town is. It's about five miles from here—"

"FIVE MILES!?" Collin groaned. "My legs still hurt from yesterday! Not to mention, we had to sleep on the _**ground**_!"

Amber shrugged. "Well, I guess when it comes to the Pokémon League, Pokémon aren't the only ones that suffer…"

* * *

><p>"Are we almost there?"<p>

"Collin, it's the same answer as it was five minutes ago…"

"Annnnnd?"

"The answer is still 'no'," Amber huffed.

The duo had been trekking through the untamed Johto wilderness for over an hour. According to Amber, they still had an entire hour left of hiking to do.

The sun was in the middle of the sky, shining down bright light upon the entire land. The wild forest Pokémon were either playing the in the shade or were basking in the sunlight. Every creature was embracing the beautiful day.

Collin turned towards Amber with a serious look on his face. "Remember when you were talking about trading yesterday?"

Amber met his gaze. Did he want to trade with her? She didn't have very many Pokémon with her at the moment, but she was more than happy to initiate a trade with him.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now…and I was wondering…"

Amber couldn't tell why Collin was being so nervous and apprehensive about this. A trade was just a trade. It wasn't like a test or a battle to the death. Trading was only a friendly switching of Pokémon between friends.

Collin stopped in his tracks. "I know that you only caught it yesterday, but I want to trade you my Squirtle for your Eevee."

_So Collin _was _jealous!, _Amber thought to herself.

"Yeah," Amber hesitated. "…but I was kinda planning on finishing the Pokémon League with him…"

"Amber, let's face it," Collin said. "My Pokémon are weak an-"

Amber gave Collin an angry look. "You think that your Pokémon are weak? You want to trade me your Squirtle because you think that it's weak?"

"Yeah, Am, that's _kinda _one of the reasons why people trade. I want strong Pokémon that can stare danger in the face. Not wimpy monsters like…_Squirlte._"

Amber raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one who chose Squirlte in the first place?"

"It was a horrible mistake."

What kind of a trainer would call their own Pokémon-their own companions-mistakes? Amber couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own friend-someone that she personally knew-was trading away his…_mistake_.

Amber unzipped her backpack and held the Eevee's Pokéball tightly in her palm. If she traded him her Eevee, how would she know that he was in good hands? Would she ever see him again? Then again, there were plenty of opportunities to catch other Eevees. She knew that a man named Bill, who was in Goldenrod City, had one he could give her…

She had never owned a Squirlte before. When she was in Kanto, Amber had chosen one of Prof. Oak's Bulbasaurs. Maybe, owning a water type could teach her something…maybe even something about herself…

"It's a deal."


	10. Chapter 10- Goldenrod City

**Continuation of Amber's Johto Journey**

**That evening, hours after the trade**

The two kids were walking towards Route 34, ready to earn their Plain Badges. From what Amber had heard, Whitney was a tough young woman with an equally tough team. Amber doubted that her ragtag lineup was sturdy enough to handle her.

So far, she had her Chikorita, Ledyba, Hoothoot, Parasect, Ratatta, and of course, her new Squirtle.

_Did I make the right choice?_

She knew that people could easily trade back their Pokémon after the initial trade. However, trades were, unofficially, set in stone. When two trainers traded Pokémon, it was unlikely that they would see their original Pokémon ever again.

If Collin traded her Eevee to some stranger, she would never see her Eevee again.

She turned behind her and watched as Collin was struggling up the hill they were trekking. She saw that he was tired and could hear his labored breathing.

When Collin had finally reached the top (Amber got there before he did), he flopped down in an exhausted heap.

"First thing we're gonna do when we get to Goldrenrod is buy us some bikes," Collin huffed.

Amber laughed, "Are you alright?"

"Pfft, I'm fine," Collin said casually.

After she helped her friend up, Amber daydreamed about reaching the Goldrenrod City gym and facing off against Whitney. She didn't believe that she could do it, even though she got her badges from the other gym leaders. The rumors she had heard from her friends about Whitney's brutal techniques and her vicious Miltank started to unnerve her.

But if there was anyone that she believed in, it was Collin. His ambition and stubbornness got him through a lot of things (mostly, it got him in trouble). If Amber had to choose who the best trainer was out of the both of them, she would easily choose Collin.

"Hey…," Amber spoke up. "Let's just stop here for the day. I know that it's early, but I think that it'd be great for the both of us and our Pokémon."

* * *

><p>As soon as the sun rose the next morning, the two preteens were on the move. They had spent a short amount of time in Route 34, admiring the beautiful lake on their left and stopping to chat with the day care couple on their right.<p>

"Feel free to drop your Pokémon off at anytime!" the day-care man called out, waving them goodbye. "We'll be happy to watch them. Don't worry, they're in good hands!"

When the two of them had reached Goldenrod, all they could do was stare in amazement. All of the buildings were huge; the largest in all of Johto. Each building was coated in a shimmering, golden coat of paint. The largest structure of all was the Radio Tower, which was the one of the main attractions of the city. Goldenrod was also was the home of the Goldenrod Department Store, the region's largest shopping mart.

Amber couldn't wait to check out the department store. Collin told Amber that he wanted to enter in one of the radio hosts' contests, as well as challenge Whitney.

Of course, there was a dilemma: limited cash.

All of the money that the kids had was from their parents and from defeated opponents. But of course, they had to buy battle items, new clothing, food, supplies, and paying their opponents whenever they'd lost a battle. Both kids had to learn to spend wisely and handle their money carefully if they wanted it to last.

When she caught sight of Whitney's golden gym, a trickle of fear started to run through her.

"Collin," she stammered nervously. "Do you think that we're ready challenge Whitney yet?"

"Of course we are," Collin reassured her. "Besides, we've already come this far."

* * *

><p>"So, you think you're ready, kid?"<p>

Collin stood face-to-face with Whitney herself. Her eyes seemed to twinkle with the flames of excitement. Her gaze seemed determined and steady, ready to handle whatever was going to happen, win or lose.

Her pink hair was styled into pointed spikes and she was wearing a white and pink track suit. Quietly, she pulled out a Pokéball from her back pocket.

"Clefairy, I choose you!" she exclaimed.

Collin reached into his pocket and chose a Pokéball as well. "Ekans, go for it!"

"Ekanssss!" the purple snake hissed.

Whitney smiled at Collin's enthusiasm. She couldn't help but feel joy whenever a trainer shared the same determination and excitement as she did. With a finger pointed out in front of her, she called out to her Clefairy.

"Clefairy, use DoubleSlap!"

Upon hearing Whitney's command, Collin gave a command of his own.

"Ekans, dodge it!"

Before Ekans could move away, Clefairy had used her DoubleSlap attack. The shear force of her attack had knocked the Ekans unconscious.

With a sigh, Collin recalled his Ekans. "Return," he commanded.

Whitney walked over to her Clefairy and pat her between the ears. "Great work, Clefairy!"

Throwing out another Pokeball, Collin shouted, "Pidgey, come out!"

"Scree scree!" the Pidgey screeched.

Using his Quick Attack and Gust, Pidgey was able to easily defeat the Clefairy.

Little did he know, the real challenge was about to begin.

"Looks like you took down my Clefairy…," Whitney said, slightly amused.

Collin felt a spike in his confidence and hope. But, he knew that this was only the beginning. He had only defeated one of her Pokemon and there was still one more to face off against. Deep down, he knew that he was ready for this moment.

"Miltank, I choose you!" Whitney shouted, sending out her next monster.

Amber looked out onto the battlefield. She felt so proud of her friend. In the back of her mind, she started to feel fearful and anxious.

Whitney's ultimate weapon was released onto the battlefield...her doomsday device.

With a slight smirk, Whitney called out Miltank's first attack. "Miltank…use attract!"

Pidgey, who was circling above Miltank, landed hard, face first onto the ground. All the tiny bird could think about was beautiful Miltank was. All of his thoughts were centered around Miltank, to the point where his mind was too clouded to think of anything else.

"Use Rollout!"

Miltank curled into a ball and rolled over the Pidgey. In one single move, the Pidgey was knocked out.

Using the Attract-Rollout-Milk Drink combo, Miltank continued to knockout Collin's entire team.

…except for one.

"Eevee…I choose you!" Collin called out.

Amber looked up in shock. Was Eevee really ready for a gym battle?

"This is my last Pokémon! I'm determined to show you what we got!"

"We'll have to see about that!" Whitney shouted. "Miltank, use Stomp!"

With incredible speed, Miltank ran over to the Eevee and raised one of her hooves. Before the Eevee could make a move, the Miltank's Stomp move made him flinch, leaving him open for another attack.

Amber could barely watch. She knew what move Whitney was about to call out.

Pointing a finger in the air, Whitney called out her final command.

"Miltank…use Rollout!"

The pink cow Pokémon curled into a tight ball, and rolled to the Eevee at breakneck speed. Miltank became a bowling ball, rolling at super sonic speed towards a fluffy bowling pin.

In a single hit, Miltank knocked the Eevee out and launched it far off the battlefield. The Eevee was easily defeated and was lying down on the ground, unconscious.

"The challenger is unable to battle!" the announcer bellowed. "Whitney is the winner!"


End file.
